This Town is Too Small
by Adorkablenerd21
Summary: The mayor of Storybrooke is dismayed to find that her precious little town is just that-way too small, because she keeps running into the one person she can't control-Emma Swan.
1. Chapter 1

"Henry, I have a meeting with the governor tonight. Be in bed by 10:00—oh, and don't run off to see Sherriff Swan; she's busy with night duty. Love you." Regina kissed her son on the head, wishing that just once he would say 'I love you' back, even if he didn't mean it. She longed to feel him near her, to feel that he at least paid attention to her, because, contrary to popular belief, her heart wasn't entirely made of stone. There was a little patch of grass there, which Henry and Daniel occupied. It was admittedly small, but it was there.

Henry mumbled something in acknowledgment, and Regina felt a small smile on her face. She put on her blazer and walked out the door. The meeting with the governor concerned funds and figures on where they wanted to be in the next 5 years. Regina couldn't help but smile, because the governor was not from Storybrook. He wondered why there didn't seem to be much crime or much of anything, really.

Because she, Regina, had everything under her control. That is, until a certain blond low-life wanderer showed up. As a result, she could feel the curse weakening, and just as important, her son's devotion to her. Regina knew that conflict arose when two or more entities wanted the same thing. The conflict between her and Sherriff Swan was no different; Henry was the thing they both wanted. Not that Regina was totally uncomfortable with her son being with the Sherriff, but lately, that fire of jealousy, of wanting to grab hold of everything that was hers, was growing. She didn't want Miss Swan—or Emma, rather—to just waltz in, steal her son's affections, leaving nothing left to salvage of Henry and Regina's relationship. But that's exactly what she had done.

Regina kept seething silently until the governor got tired of looking at her ideas for the next library—the old one was falling apart—and decided to leave the town hall. Regina got in her car and started it up, when a police car swerved loudly down the street, appearing to be in hot pursuit—of what?

The patrol car stopped and Sherriff Swan got out, wearing that damn red leather jacket that could be seen from a mile off. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be on night duty, Sherriff?" Regina purposefully injected cold poison into her words. "Isn't that what I pay you for?"

Emma didn't look flustered at all; she was getting used to Regina's coldness and superior vocabulary, unfortunately. She went straight to business. "Yeah, I was on patrol. I just wanted to see who was at the Town Hall so late. Sorry." She turned to walk away.

"Well, it's good to see you—"

"Really?" Emma whirled around in surprise.

"I was saying, 'it's good to see you doing your job.' I was just having a meeting with the Governor, actually." She stopped herself in surprise; she was talking with Sherriff Swan about her day. That was not what enemies did. They hated each other; well, at least she knew she hated the Sherriff. "It is late, good night, Sherriff."

"Do you want me to see you home?" Emma offered.

It was Regina's turn to be shocked. "Um..." she never used that word! "No, thank you. I'll be fine." She backed out of her parking space and drove away.

Emma watched the Mayor drive away in her black sedan that looked like it came out of a 1950's movie and got back to doing her rounds. Her shift ended at midnight, and it was barely 10:00. She sighed and went around, driving down the same dark streets, seeing the same old nothing—until she drove past a little house in the neighborhood. Some potheads were lighting up.

The evening wasn't totally unproductive, then. She knew that if she wanted, she could assign night duty to Ruby—but she knew that Ruby would probably quit, and then she would be without a deputy. The Storybrook PD was a pitiful excuse for a law enforcement unit—but then again, there wasn't much crime to solve. Except for the disappearance of Katherine a couple months back, when Regina had tried to frame Mary Margaret. Emma could see that Regina had some huge issues with her. It was plain to everyone that Regina and Emma were enemies, all because of Henry. At the same time though, they had seemed to reach a silent understanding that fighting in front of Henry would only hurt him.

Emma was thankful when midnight rolled around. She drove to the police department to drop off the patrol car and then drove to her apartment that she rented with Mary Margaret. But she wasn't there for long. Ruby called her and convinced her to come to Errol's, a bar close to the outside of town. Emma caved, knowing that it was okay; she was off duty, after all. She ended up having a lot of fun. Sure, there weren't that many people, but the ones that were there were fun as hell. Ruby was drunk and stripping off her clothes for anyone who would watch, and Emma was most definitely watching. She tried to disguise it as interest in the painting behind the drunk deputy, but that fooled no one. The bar closed at 4:00 am, and Ruby was staggering on Emma's shoulder, her breath rank with beer, and her hair all mussed up. Emma had had to pull her off the bar, and Ruby would not go easily. She was surprisingly strong for a skinny girl.

"No! Emma, pleeeassse, I wanna dance!" Emma laughed.

"Ruby, we gotta get you home. You can dance some other time." Emma opened the door to her yellow bug, and gently guided Ruby on the passenger's seat. Ruby leaned over, and Emma leapt out of the way just in time. She dropped Ruby off at her house, and then drove home and passed out on her bed.

When she woke up, Mary Margaret was gone already. Emma hadn't been drunk, she knew, but her head still felt funny. She poured some coffee and nearly pissed herself when she heard the phone ring. Not her cell phone. The old creepy looking cat phone that sat in a forgotten corner of the apartment. She warily walked over to it, expecting—well, she wasn't sure what to expect. She picked up the phone and whispered 'hello?' Not because she was scared, I mean, she was never scared of anything.

The voice on the other end of the line was impatient. "Sherriff Swan, is that you?" Oh shit, it was the mayor's voice. What the hell had she done now?

"Uh yeah. Why?"

"I needed to speak with you about your behavior last night. It was irresponsible to let your deputy display herself like that. It does not bode well for the police department to have employees that revel in public drunkenness. Am I making myself clear?"

"She was off duty—"

"That is no excuse for her to be publicly indecent."

"How did you know about that?"

"Sidney Glass told me."

Emma laughed. "He's a pervert."

"Just promise me you'll keep a hold of your deputy. She has done enough already. Goodbye, Sherriff Swan."

Regina had been harsh. Maybe a little too much, but, Emma had to be dealt with. She was getting more and more uncomfortable with the fact that Ruby was deputy, and that Emma seemed to have hired her on a whim. She didn't like it, not at all, and she wasn't quite sure why. She had things to do that morning anyway, so it was futile to spend it wondering what Emma saw in Ruby to hire her so quickly.

Unless…unless Emma and Ruby…no, of course not, the idea was absurd. Regina shook her head to clear it and buried herself in the paperwork that the governor had given her the night before. At some point, she fell asleep, and was woken up by Emma Swan, telling her to come to the police department right away, because Henry had been hurt. She said nothing more, and Regina met her at the police department, ushered immediately into the patrol car, with Emma at the wheel. But they didn't go to the hospital, like she expected. They went to the woods instead, to this rustic looking cabin. Emma got out of the car, but Regina didn't know what was going on.

"Sherriff—where's my son?"

Emma didn't say anything, all she did was walk closer to the mayor. "I have no idea, Madam Mayor. I just brought you out here because you have been on my mind all day. You are jealous of Ruby, aren't you?" Emma's smirk was so infuriating, Regina wanted to slap her.

"Whatever in the seven heavens gave you that idea? I—"Regina couldn't say another word, because Sherriff Swan—the woman who from the moment she arrived at Storybrook, had taken Regina's life and made it so different, so out of control, so unlike before—was coming closer. Her face was inches from Regina's, and she could feel her breath on her own lips. It smelled like cherries—

Regina woke up with a start, her head buried in the Mt. Nagasaki of paperwork that she had to do. She had druel on her chin, and some of it had gotten on the papers.

That was the craziest, most unexpected dream she had ever had. She decided to think nothing of it—dreams don't mean anything. It was just her neurons firing—no reason to get herself in a tizzy. Sherriff Swan could date whoever she chose, be it man or woman, or slutty deputy—

Where did that come from? Regina looked at the clock. It was around noon. She decided to break for lunch and come back to the work later. Most of it was files for the citizens' taxes and repairs that the town needed, or just complaints from citizens, most of which she didn't bother looking at. So she went to have lunch at the town Co-op, because thankfully Storybrook had one of those. The food was healthy and it gave her new strength and concentration. She went back to her office and decided once and for all to finish her work.

She completed that task by 7:00 pm that night, and drove home to cook dinner for Henry, in case he hadn't eaten yet. They ended up ordering pizza, because of an unexpected thing that, in hindsight, probably was destined to happen, because, of course, that one person that you make an effort to avoid, to forget about, is suddenly around you all the time. It's Sod's law. Emma Swan was at her house when she got home, due to Henry's invitation. Henry had insisted, he said.

"Mom, you are always saying how I spend too much time with her, and not enough with you, so I thought I could solve that problem and we could all be together!" He looked up at Regina, like he had just found a cure for cancer, and she couldn't help feeling…proud.

She didn't show it though. "Henry, I haven't had anything prepared, and I am too tired to cook for three people." She looked up at Emma. "You understand, I'm sure, Sherriff, how distracting work can be."

"Yeah," Emma said, laid back as ever, "that's fine. Henry, we'll do it some other time. 'Night, all."

The look on Henry's face had an effect on Regina that made a tiny crack in her wall of rules and regulations. So, to Regina's chagrin, Emma stayed, and ordered in pizza.

Henry went to bed at 10:00, and Emma was still at the Mayor's house. Regina secretly plotted how to bring up Ruby again, but wasn't sure why she wanted to. She couldn't help thinking about that dream she had earlier that day, and to her dismay, she was curious what would have happened if she hadn't woken up. Would Emma have kissed her?

"You wish."

Regina fairly jumped out of her skin. "What were you saying, Sherriff?"

"Oh, Henry was just asking if he could stay up until 10:30. I was just enforcing your rule—is that okay?"

Sweet, innocent Miss Swan. Always caring about Regina's opinion, even though it was not reciprocated. Not in the least. Regina smiled, an authoritative, I'm-in-control smile and said, "Yes, go to bed Henry. Good night, I love you."

Henry bounded up the stairs, silent as usual. Emma seemed to sense the tension, and gulped loudly. "Does he—"

"No. Not since you got here." Regina didn't try to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "You seemed to have poisoned him against me, Miss Swan, without even trying."

"Why—why do you always call me Miss Swan, or Sherriff Swan? Why are you so formal?"

Regina laughed bitterly. "We're not exactly friends, are we, Sherriff? Two people, forced to act civil to one another because of an unfortunate turn of events. Because 10 years ago, you gave up a son for adoption, and by some sick twist of fate, I adopted him. And now, he finds you, sure that you'll save him, and be the hero, while I'm disgusting to him, some sort of Evil Queen—" Regina stopped herself finally. She hadn't meant to vent. Especially to Sherriff Swan, of all people.

Emma seemed unsure of what to say. "So he told you about his book, huh?"

"No, his teacher did. I'm sure you remember."

Emma got uncomfortable. "Well, it is really late, and Henry's in bed, so I should probably go."

"I see. Do you have night duty again?" Regina couldn't help herself.

"Nope, gave it to Ruby. Wouldn't want to lose hold of my employees, now would I?"

Well paint Regina blue. The Sherriff could actually be bitter when she wanted to, what a surprise.

"Good night, Madam Mayor."

"Wait, Sheriff…"

Emma turned, obviously impatient.

"Are you and Ruby…er…roman—

"How is that any of your business?" Emma got angry, red in the face, which strangely aroused Regina. Wait, what?

Regina gulped, unsure of what was happening to her heart rate and her breathing. It seemed as though she was getting nervous. Why? She didn't care if Sherriff Swan was mad at her. Most of their encounters had been of the more aggressive nature, and she had sort of gotten accustomed to it. So why was it different now?

Because of the dream. That stupid dream she had was mirroring reality now. The Sherriff was getting close to her, her eyes snapping with quiet rage.

"Answer me." Emma spoke quietly.

"I—I can't…" Regina, for once in her life, was speechless.

"Let's get one thing straight, Madam Mayor. Graham might have been in your pocket, but I refuse to be. You don't own me, or Ruby, and I will date whoever I want."

"So, you like her then?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "What are we, in 5th grade? It's none of your business! Good night!"

And with that, the sherriff stormed down the steps, the walk, and into that sorry excuse for a vehicular transport.

The last words she said-'good night'-resonated in Regina's head. When Regina slept, she dreamt again of Miss Swan, and the dream was of a sexual nature, which scared her awake.

Mary Margaret was genuinely afraid for her life. She gripped the mug in her hands tightly, trying to make out what Emma was muttering about as she paced the apartment, not stopping to look at anything, just concentrating on walking back and forth. That, and the fact that she would occasionally just throw something, or hit something for no apparent reason, was why Mary Margaret was starting to think that Emma might have anger issues.

She had come home at 10:30, and before Mary Margaret could get in so much as a hello, Emma started in on a rant about where she had been—the Mayor's house—and that she had had dinner with Regina and Henry. That was surprising, in and of itself. But then, Emma blurted that Regina had tried to stick her nose into her romantic affairs. Mary Margaret assumed she had asked about August Booth—a man who had recently come to town—but no, Regina had asked about _Ruby_ and Emma's relationship.

When Mary Margaret spat tea all over herself, Emma looked up briefly, exclaimed "I know!" and kept on going. She was really, for lack of a better word, pissed.

After ten minutes of Emma's pacing, Mary Margaret snapped. "Emma, honey, sit down."

Emma turned, surprised. Had Mary Margaret just treated her like one of her students? Should she be sort of offended? She decided that she should be. But she begrudgingly sat down anyway.

"What?" She asked, sounding exactly like Henry, Mary Margaret thought.

"For two people who supposedly despise each other, you and Regina do spend a lot of time in each other's company." She knew Emma would want to interrupt, her mouth was open with a reply, but she held up her hand, which worked. "I know you have to, because of Henry. Honestly, I think this is kind of like a divorce. Hear me out. When two people divorce, they have to come up with some ground rules for when they can see the kids, what stuff is theirs, and, lastly, that they can see other people. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

Emma looked as though she absolutely did not. Flabbergasted was a good word for the emotion playing on her face. "Do you know how weird that sounds? Regina and I were never married—if we were, I would have committed suicide. Do you know what she puts Henry through? What she puts me through? She is a bitch!"

"Calm down. That is why I am suggesting you set up ground rules."

"I just can't believe she had the nerve to ask about Ruby and me."

Mary Margaret knew she had to proceed with caution. "You are right. It's none of her business that you two are going out."

"You're right." Emma suddenly realized what she had just said. "I mean, no, no, no…we're not going out. Nothing has happened, I like guys, I always have—"

Mary Margaret couldn't help laughing. Emma was just so cute. Not in _that_ way, of course, but almost in a childlike way that she couldn't explain. Not that Emma was immature, but she was kind of headstrong and impulsive, which was a trait Mary Margaret had often seen in her students. It wasn't that big of a leap. "It's fine. Who you date is fine with me."

Emma visibly relaxed. "Well, at least someone is fine with it."

Ruby yawned, wishing she could have invented a time machine and go into the future, to when her shift was over. She was sitting at her desk, bored as ever, waiting for the phone to ring. The Sherriff was nowhere to be found, and Tyler—one of the policemen—had spent all morning trying to flirt with Ruby. He brought her donuts, saying she was far too skinny, which she didn't really appreciate, and then he tried to cop a feel when he was showing her some paperwork from a drug bust. Why men were such pervs, Ruby would never know.

Emma had told her about Errol's, two nights ago, when she had gotten drunk and started peeling off her clothes. She just said to be more careful, that the Mayor had heard about it and had gotten angry. For punishment, she had had to make rounds last night, and it sucked. She barely got any sleep, and had to come in at 8:00 this morning. Well, the mayor was going to pay for this. She decided to write a complaint, and that's what she was working on when Emma strolled in at 11:00, rosy cheeked and rested. Ruby smelled a new perfume, and wondered why Emma would wear that at work.

Ruby smiled and gave her some coffee, although it didn't look like she needed it.

"It's been a slow day, Emma. There was a robbery on Greek and Elm, but we've got men on it. And, there was a kid missing, but it turned out he was just at the arcade. This town is sinfully boring, I know. It seems like Errol's was the only fun place, and now—" Ruby didn't want to sound like a baby, so she stopped.

"Hey, you can still go; you just can't strip." Emma grinned.

"It's not my fault; when I get drunk I automatically go into stripper mode."

"Well, then, maybe there should be someone there to make sure that doesn't happen." Something in Emma's voice made Ruby snap her head up. Emma was flirting with her!

"Yeah, that would be sweet. Are you offering to go with me?"

"Yeah I guess so. Just once a week, though, okay? And we'll make sure that Sidney isn't there. He's the one who snitched on you."

Ruby practically floated to the ceiling. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Emma!" Impulsively she got up and hugged her.

The next week, on a Saturday, Emma and Ruby went to Errol's, as a sort of date, although that's not officially what they called it. Ruby thought Emma was sweet, and wouldn't mind having a one night stand with her—but if Emma wanted commitment, then she was out. Emma seemed to just want to have fun, though, and they ended up talking about movies, music, different books they had read, and different people they had dated. They were good friends, so the night went well. Ruby didn't have a drop of alcohol.

Until the mayor walked in.

Ruby almost shit a brick. Emma noticed her deer-in-headlights expression and turned to see what she was staring at. Emma threw up. The mayor sauntered over, careful not to step in Emma's puke, and let her eyes wander over Emma and Ruby.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby spoke, trying to sound brave.

"I'm here on business, not that it's any of your concern." It's true. The mayor _was_ an Ice Queen.

"Okay, well, it's nice to see you." Ruby lied.

"You too, with your clothes on—that's a change."

That's when Ruby ordered a scotch on the rocks.

Emma and Regina ended up having to drag Ruby out of the bar, because she had tried to punch out the DJ for not playing "Drop it to the Floor." Regina was surprised that Ruby could get drunk that fast; Regina had been there for maybe thirty minutes, and now she was stuck carrying Ruby into her car, with the person she hated most on the planet. That smug, self-righteous, impulsive, infuriatingly attractive blond—

She should have ordered a drink at the bar. Regina felt Ruby's hand slipping, and pulled her arm tighter around her shoulder. Her car was ten paces away. Regina said that if she puked, she'd have to clean it up later, and Ruby just giggled.

"I have to come too." The Sherriff stood by the car.

"No, it's fine, I have it from here."

"With all due respect, Madam Mayor, you don't know where she lives."

Regina did know where Ruby lived. She knew everything. But Sherriff Swan didn't know that, and she had no intention of telling her. "Fine. Get in."

After they dropped Ruby off and made sure she made it to the door, Regina offered to just drive Emma home.

"Why were you at the bar tonight?" God, this woman was annoying. Regina shot her a look that could kill, but because it was dark, the effect was lost.

"I told you, I was there on business."

"I think you were there to spy on me. You could have had the owner of the bar mail you that check."

Regina laughed. "Why would I spy on you?"

Emma hesitated. "I think we need to set up ground rules—

"Answer the question, Sherriff." Regina was sick of Emma's deflecting.

"I don't know—maybe because you're…jealous?"

"Right, me jealous." Regina chuckled, trying with all her might to sound sarcastic. "You have an insufferable ego. How does anyone stand you?"

"I could ask you the exact same thing. You think you can control everyone, have everything be the way you want. Have you ever had anyone stand up to you, and challenge you? No, I bet you haven't. Well consider this your first time, then, Madam Mayor."

Regina didn't hide her surprise. It's true, no one in this town had ever challenged her the way Emma did. She pulled up to Emma's apartment and watched the blond climb out.

It was hard for her to just drive away, without saying what she really wanted to say, which was,

"Get the hell out of my head, Sherriff Swan."

Oh. My. God. Damn her vocal chords!

Seemingly, in slow motion, Emma turned around. "What?"

Regina started her car up again. "Nothing, good night." Damn, damn, damn. She started to pull out, but Emma sprinted to the window and grabbed onto the car.

"What did you say?"

"I don't know what you mean. Maybe you are a little tipsy, Miss Swan. Some rest would be good for you."

Emma leaned in closer, and Regina couldn't help but smell her perfume, and her hair, the scents of which mixed together so nicely, it made her want to lean in and—

"Cut the crap. I heard you. Why exactly am I in your head?"

Regina sighed. "I—had—a dream.

"I've heard that speech, Regina. Martin Luther King was awesome, but I asked you a question.

Regina couldn't help laughing. "_I_ did, Miss Swan. About you." Regina gritted her teeth; she didn't want to go into detail, so she left it at that. "That's why I want you to leave. Just leave my town, get out of my head, and let my son be _mine_ again."

Emma's expression was unreadable. Then she laughed, which pissed Regina off to no end. "So, what, you had sex dreams about me?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "If you're going to act like a horny frat boy then I'm sorry I told you."

Emma looked sorry right away. "Look, I just…that's unexpected, is all. And weird. Really weird. Maybe you're right; maybe I should leave. It's been nice getting to know Henry, though, and being your sworn enemy."

She turned to go, but something in Regina screamed to not let her go without seeing…seeing if the dreams she had had any place in reality. She hurriedly climbed out of her car, took Emma by the shoulders—gently, and eased in closer to her. Emma's eyes panicked, but Regina held her fast, so she couldn't turn to go. Her lips brushed the sherriff's, and there was instant heat that radiated from the desire that Regina didn't even know she had.

They broke apart all too soon, but the look on Emma's face was one of surprise and happiness.

They were both in so much trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma Swan got distracted for the umpteenth time that day, trying with all her might to focus on the paperwork she had to do. When she ran to be Sherriff, she had no idea how much red tape she had to cut through. It was crazy. Most of it was paperwork she just had to sign, but her eyes lost focus and soon she was continuously signing her name on everything, without even looking. When Ruby noticed the glazed look in Emma's eyes—and the fact that she was writing on the desk—she decided to figure out what the hell had been up with the sherriff lately.

Something was definitely going on. Emma had refused to go out to the bar the past two weeks in a row, and she seemed more distant than usual, like she had something on her mind. Ruby decided to find out what that was. She used to direct approach.

"Emma, you're ruining your desk. What the hell has been going on with you lately?"

Emma's head snapped up, as if she was waking from a glorious dream, and her eyes focused on Ruby, then the pen in her hand, and then the ink blots staining the wooden desk in front of her.

"Shit! How did that happen?"

"You tell me. Answer my question."

"What?"

Ruby grimaced. This was worse than she thought. "Why haven't you gone to the bar with me in a while? Why are you all of a sudden becoming a recluse?"

Emma frowned. "I don't know what you mean. I've just been busy—"

"What, signing papers?" Ruby smirked. "Come on, Emma, I like to think I know you better than that. Something has happened." Ruby stopped. "Was it—was it that night when the mayor came to the bar? Did she do something?"

Emma's face got slightly redder, and she started to stutter. Bingo. Ruby smiled to herself.

"I—I—no, it wasn't the mayor. Aside from being an annoying bitch, she hasn't done anything. I um…I think your shift is over, Ruby—you are free to go."

Ruby nodded. She just _had_ to figure out what her boss—her friend—was hiding. She prided herself in being able to read people's facial and body expressions, and Emma was obviously in denial about something. It was also clear that Emma was getting uncomfortable. Ruby just had no idea why. A plan was already forming in her mind, though, about how to get more information on the subject. She straightened up, ready to leave.

"Okay, Emma. But just so you know, I'm here if you want to talk. You have friends here; you don't need to hide."

With that, Ruby left the office, on a mission.

She reached Mary Margaret's apartment at 4:15 pm. It was a Wednesday, so the teacher was probably just getting back from school. Ruby walked up the steps, knowing that the brunette would be surprised to see her. She steeled herself and knocked on the door.

Being a school teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard had to deal with noise all day. Noisy kids, noisy parents complaining about how their kids should be given better grades, other teachers complaining about how the children did not know how to behave…and at the end of the day, she would just be dying to go home and curl up with a good book, trying to block all the bad things that had happened that day. So she did exactly that-or at least attempted to.

She had decided on reading _Jane Eyre_ because it was one of her favorite classics. She loved the story and related on some level to Jane. She settled comfortably on her couch and was just about to start in on the book when she heard a knock at her door.

It was Ruby Lucas. Mary Margaret couldn't conceal her surprise, it seemed. Ruby just smiled and asked if she could come in, and before she knew it, Mary Margaret was sitting across from her, smiling awkwardly and wondering why Ruby had just shown up.

"I'm here because…because I want to talk to you about Emma. Has she seemed out of it lately?"

Mary Margaret thought for a second. Now that Ruby mentioned it, Emma had been kind of tired lately. Wanting to stay in her room, not wanting to do much. She had just assumed it was because being Sherriff was a tiresome job, and that she spent most of her time sleeping.

"Um, yeah, I guess. I haven't asked her about it though."

"Yeah, well, if you had, you wouldn't have gotten anywhere. She is being pretty secretive."

Mary Margaret frowned. "I don't see how that is any different from the Emma we both know and love."

Ruby laughed. "I guess you are right. It's just that…she usually is more outgoing, and the funny thing is…I think I know what's eating her." Ruby donned a mischievous smirk as she began to tell Mary Margaret what she remembered the last time Emma had gone to Errol's and the mayor had shown up.

"Emma and I had gone out, and she promised me she'd make sure that if I got drunk, she would keep me safe, you know, be my designated driver. Only when the Mayor showed up at the bar, she and I both started boozing it up, I guess because we didn't know how else to deal with Regina being there. I ended up getting pretty smashed and almost punched the DJ—and that's all I remember. From what I can deduce, though, something happened between her and the mayor that night."

Mary Margaret listened to Ruby's story. She couldn't help thinking that Ruby was jumping to far too many conclusions. "Why was the Mayor at the bar?" Mary Margaret couldn't quite picture that uptight prudish woman doing anything for fun.

"She said she was there on business."

"Of course she was."

"Look, I know it sounds fantastic, but I have a really strong hunch, and usually my hunches aren't wrong."

Mary Margaret nodded, looking wistfully at her book, begging to be read. She shook her head. Emma's happiness was more important. Finding out why Emma had been distracted at work and was slowly shutting everyone out of her life was Mary Margaret's first priority.

"So, what is your plan?"

Dinner at the Mills residence was served without fail every day at 7:15 pm, and Regina allowed one snack at 4:30 to tide her son over until then. She only made exceptions if she was late from work, or if Henry invited Emma Swan over, which he didn't do often, thankfully. The last time he had, it had been incredibly awkward, and had ended with the Sherriff storming out of her house.

Tonight, Henry hardly spoke to her, which was not much of a change, but Regina thought he seemed more thoughtful than usual. That made her more uncomfortable, because it felt like he was scrutinizing her. The past two weeks had been hard anyway, what with Regina going out of her way to avoid the other mother of her child. There was nothing going on between her and Sherriff Swan. There never would be, because they were just too different. Emma Swan had stolen Henry from her—at least, had stolen his affections, and that cut her too deep. She could not bring herself to admit that the reason she had been avoiding Emma Swan was because their kiss felt a little too real. It had been wonderful, really.

And Regina was not used to things being wonderful. It scared her to think that if she took a risk and actually felt something, she would just end up getting hurt. That's what had happened with Daniel. Regina was not sure she could take another heart break like that. So she pretended nothing had happened, and so far things were going great, aside from the fact that her son seemed to notice the changes.

"Mom," Henry said, pulling her out of her ruminations, "Is it okay if I invite Emma over for dinner on Friday?"

Regina raised her eyebrows. Her son was actually asking permission. "I think it would be best if you and she just had dinner together. I am afraid I won't be available that evening."

"Why not?"

"I have a meeting…at the—" Regina couldn't bring herself lie to her son. "I just think it would be best if Emma and I don't spend time together."

Henry was too smart. "Why? You never wanted to avoid her before. Did she say something to you to make you mad at her? I mean, more mad?"

Regina shook her head. "No, I just…I don't want to fight her."

Henry wasn't convinced. "Mom, no offense, but I thought that's what you loved to do."

"Not if it hurts you."

Henry smiled. "You mean that?" He sounded surprised, which cut Regina to the core. The fact that her son could never fathom how much she loved him, how much she felt for him—it left her feeling empty and alone.

"Yes, Henry, of course I mean it."

"Then invite her to dinner and show me that you won't fight with her." Henry almost smirked, knowing he had her.

Regina sighed, getting up from the table to clear the dishes. Her son was a sneaky little monster sometimes.

That Friday, Emma Swan showed up at Regina's doorstep at 7 o'clock sharp, bearing a bottle of wine and a pan of brownies. She had been utterly surprised that the Mayor had called her; they hadn't spoken for two weeks, since the…incident, so she immediately expected that the mayor was planning something awful. The clipped tones in Regina's voice had revealed nothing, however, just mere tolerance. It was sad, really. They had decided to avoid each other, becoming strangers, even though there was the blaring reality that THEY SHARED A CHILD. Enemies didn't do that, did they?

Mary Margaret had made the brownies, saying that it was polite to show up at the host's house with a side dish. Before Emma could make a smart comment about how she didn't give a fuck about being polite with Regina, Mary Margaret practically pushed her out the door, saying she didn't want her to be late. Emma cleared her throat, ringing the doorbell to the gargantuan house, waiting with baited breath. Henry answered the door, barreling into her arms, and she would be lying if she said it didn't knock the wind out of her a little bit.

The meal was pleasant, albeit quiet, because it seemed like Emma and Regina were having a contest as to who could ignore each other the longest. Emma tried to focus on Henry, but soon his ramblings about how he beat Nicholas at chess and how Hulk was the best superhero on the planet got old, and Emma found herself sneaking glances at Regina, who had plastered a cold look on her face, determined to just eat. The Mayor was so infuriating. It was driving Emma crazy. If this kept up, she would probably have to be institutionalized. Soon, Henry left the table to go do his homework, and the awkward silence that had been staying at a low hum throughout the evening became deafening. Emma cleared her throat and offered to help with the dishes, just to be polite.

The silence ensued for another ten minutes, until Emma couldn't take it anymore.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" God, she sounded so needy. Emma cringed. She had never been the clingy type. What was this woman doing to her?

Regina had the audacity to play it off with her typical Ice Queen act. "I don't understand what you mean, Sherriff," she said, her voice silky and sickly sweet.

Emma almost threw a dish on the floor. "Yes you do. You kissed me two weeks ago, remember? _You_ kissed me, and then you ran away. You drove off before we had the chance to talk—"

"Talk about what?" Regina fairly barked. "About how we should go on a date, and get to know each other, and live a happily ever after?" Regina laughed mirthlessly. "Those don't exist, Miss Swan. Not here."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I know. I didn't mean that. I know relationships are hard. I just figured that we could sort this out, for Henry's sake. I don't want to have to avoid you for the rest of the time that I am here, and I hope to be here for a while."

"Really?" Regina didn't know how to react to this new piece of information. "You mean—you plan to stay?"

"Yes." Emma looked up, almost shyly. "I don't want to leave Henry." Emma sighed. "Or you."

Henry turned on his walkie talkie, trying to keep his voice down. He had been sitting at the top of the stairs, straining his ears to hear what was going on in the kitchen. When he heard the last thing Emma said, he knew that the plan that he had concocted with Mary Margaret and Ruby had finally fallen through. He nearly yelled in joy, and now said over the walkie:

"Mission accomplished. I repeat, mission accomplished."

Across town, Mary Margaret heard the news, and gave a sigh of relief.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma squirmed in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. She did not like wearing dresses, and the fact that the woman sitting across from her and insisted—no, ordered—that she wear one had kind of pissed her off. She felt her bra strap slipping and pulled it up, picking up a spoon and checking her reflection. This action made Regina roll her eyes.

"Why did we have to go here?" Emma didn't want to sound like she was whining, but—oh well.

"Because, dear, you asked that I take you on a date. This is what a date with me looks like, so get used to it."

"But _I _wanted to take you out. I asked you! I wanted to go to a monster truck rally—"

Regina laughed at this. "And you honestly thought I would enjoy that?"

Emma squirmed again. "I don't know. But you're high if you think this" she gestured at the luxurious restaurant "is enjoyable for me."

"Well, it is nice to see you out of that hideous pleather thing you insist on wearing everywhere you go."

Emma frowned. This date was not going well. She just wished the waiter would hurry up and ask for their order. At least if Regina was stuffing food in her face, she wouldn't be able to talk. She wouldn't be able to torment Emma on how she breathed too loud, or how impatient she was, or how she put her elbows on the table—it was all Emma could do not to reach across the table and throttle the woman. When the waiter finally showed up, Emma asked for a bottle of wine. Regina was buying, so what was the harm?

Surprisingly, she and Regina spent lots of time talking. Most of it was arguing, sure, but still. It was different than a lot of first dates Emma had been on. The pressure of trying to impress the person was nonexistent in this case. Emma wasn't nervous, either. Even the anger and irritation she had been feeling started to wear off and she actually found herself enjoying Regina's company. She admired how much she loved Henry, and how evident it was. Regina had called the babysitter five times since they had sat down at their table.

"He's fine, Regina. You don't need to coddle him."

"The babysitter needs to make sure he does his homework. I was just seeing to it."

Emma smirked. "Have you met our son? He has his homework done before he even gets home at night."

Regina started at the phrase "our son," and Emma suddenly realized her slip. Before either of them could say anything, their waiter brought their food.

Emma had almost finished her oysters and clams when she looked up and started hacking on a clam she was chewing. Regina watched her in alarm, wondering if she should call a doctor or something. Emma just wheezed and pointed past Regina.

Kathryn and David were sitting at a table just across the room.

Regina turned back, cool and calm as ever, trying to assess the current situation with reason and composure, which was more than could be said for Emma, who was hyperventilating at this point. Regina did not understand how the blonde did her job. She worked as Sherriff, which was a high pressure job. The fact that she managed to crack so easily at the threat of being seen with the mayor in public was a little insulting.

"Miss Swan, if you keep doing that you'll attract the attention of everyone here. Calm down."

Emma looked at her as if she had grown a third eye. "Calm down? Seriously?"

"Yes, Miss Swan. I had no idea you found the idea of being seen with me so repulsive." Regina kept her tone cool, trying not to show the pain she was feeling.

"I—I don't…I just…I don't want our lives to be open books."

"This town is too small for us to have any anonymity whatsoever. You should know that by now." At this, Regina got up and walked over to Kathryn and David's table, signaling for Emma to follow. Emma winced and got up, wondering what the hell the mayor was doing.

Regina greeted the married couple, making sure that Emma was standing by her side. Emma was uncomfortable, which was expected. But something Regina did NOT appreciate was when Emma started babbling about how she and Regina were just having a business dinner. That made Regina angry, angrier than she expected. She asked for Kathryn and David to excuse them and practically dragged Emma back to their booth, pushing her into her seat with force.

"Miss Swan," Regina growled, "Why did you lie to them?"

"It is none of their business, Regina. Why do you care, anyway?"

That was a good question. Why did Regina care? Was it about her pride, or was it something deeper? Regina breathed, trying to figure out how to answer.

"I…I enjoyed this date, Miss Swan. However much you hated it, I liked it. I know you may despise me, and up until a couple of weeks ago, I despised you too. But things have changed, and I am not afraid to let people know that."

Emma leaned across the table. "'I'm not either. I guess I just wanted to know where you stand before I tell everyone." Emma smiled, and Regina found herself smiling too—she could no longer help it. The effect Emma had on her was undeniable.

"Do you want to go back over there and tell them the truth?" Emma nodded towards the Nolans.

Regina shook her head. "I can do it from here." Before Emma could react, Regina leaned across the table and kissed her.

Kathryn spat up the expensive tea she was consuming. "Regina and Emma are on a date?"

David snapped his head up. "What?

"So, how was your date?" Mary Margaret smiled, giving Emma a cup of cocoa. She was still getting used to the idea of Emma and Regina together, but seeing Emma this happy was worth the effort.

The sunshine was practically emanating off of the blonde. If Mary Margaret didn't consider Emma a friend—her best friend, really—she would be kind of jealous of how elated she was.

"It was good."

"Just good?"

"Okay, fine. It was fucking fantastic. Regina kissed me in public and it was so—what's wrong?"

The schoolteacher's face had contorted into a worried grimace. "Oh, nothing, just that the whole town is going to be talking about you and Regina for the next year."

Emma rolled her eyes and quickly found a chair to slump into. "Great."

Mary Margaret tried to backtrack. "You know, it may not be that bad, I tend to exaggerate. No one will care that much, that's not what I mean, it's just that it will be a little unexpected, you know, you two were enemies. It will take time for people to see how…um…crazy you are about each other."

Emma looked up. "You're still getting used to it, aren't you?"

The brunette nodded.

"Well, don't feel bad. You're not the only one; I'm not used to being this happy."

"Well, of all the things to get accustomed to, that's got to be the best."

THE END


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